Page 97 of The Way We Are Now

‘Yes, I guess so.’

There was a short silence, and I gave Sara an encouraging nod of my head. When she still didn’t offer anything, I said once more, ‘So, how can I help you?’ I took a surreptitious look at the clock on the wall. It was after 4 p.m. and I wanted to get home. I was almost sure Theo would be round after Honor told him she’d been to see me and was pregnant. Would he tell her that I was also pregnant?

‘Sorry,’ I apologised, ‘I missed that, Sara. You say you were broke at college?’

Goodness, I needed to concentrate on what this woman was saying. One of my strengths in this job, I knew, was that I didn’t just hear – I listened and I empathised. I picked up my pen, started writing down what she was saying.

‘Like most students, I was always broke. I suppose I spent too much on alcohol and cigarettes.’

‘Didn’t we all?’ I smiled encouragingly, wishing she’d get on with it.

‘I bought too much stuff: clothes and the like. First time I’d had a credit card, and I maxed out on it. As it came to the end of my first year, I was seriously in debt. Didn’t know what to do. My dad had just been made redundant, and I had three younger siblings at home, so I couldn’t expect my parents to bail me out, especially as they were so proud of me being at college – the first in our family to get a place at university – even if it wasn’t the actual university…’ She trailed off.

‘And?’ I nodded encouragingly once more.

‘And then I met a bloke in a club who said I could work for him.’

‘Oh? Doing what?’

Sara cleared her throat and didn’t seem to be able to speak. Eventually, she whispered something.

‘Sorry?’ I leaned forwards.

‘I said I worked at an escort agency.’

My head came up at that. ‘Go on!’

‘At first it was just that. I went out for dinner with men, I accompanied men who were on business in Leeds, even went to Headingley to the cricket that first summer with one of them. And I hate cricket.’

‘Can’t say I’m keen.’

‘And because I was going to lovely places, being taken out to top restaurants, I needed the gear – you know, the shoes, the manicures, the underwear. Especially the underwear. Men are so obvious. We were given cash up front to make sure we looked good. Had to pay it back, of course; made sure we kept working for him to pay off the debt. He insisted it was a high-class business, and we girls needed to be just as high class. The classier we were, the more we were given the wealthier men to escort.’

‘OK.’

‘It became rather addictive. There I was, a girl from Ramsbottom in Lancashire, away from home for the first time, and I had money in my pocket, my debts being paid off.’

‘It must have affected your studies.’

‘It did. I’d always wanted to be an infant teacher, but I was getting in late, sleeping off the champagne, missing lectures. I thought I could do both but started to get warnings from my lecturers.’ Sara gave a little hollow laugh. ‘Teaching reception kids on teaching practice when you’ve only had three hours’ sleep isn’t much fun.’

‘For you or for them,’ I sympathised.

‘I tried to keep the escort work to the weekend, but most businessmen and reps are away from home during the week – they go back to their families at the weekend – and I felt I was trying to keep plates spinning. But I was young, conceited enough to think I could do it all. I was in halls of residence – my own room – so wasn’t questioned really by my friends about where I was going all dolled up. Anyone who did ask, I just said I’d met a local man at one of the nightclubs who liked to take me out to lovely places. When I look back, I reckon most of the students on my course knew exactly what I was up to.’

‘And then?’

‘I met Felicity. Fliss.’

My pulse raced. ‘You knew Fliss? She was my best friend, my housemate. We did everything together for over a year.’

‘I know. She was always talking about you. You were two charismatic girls who hung around together. I used to see the pair of you out running – always laughing…’

‘Don’t think I was laughing when I was running.’ I smiled.

‘You were both very different, I guess, but then, I suppose opposites attract. Anyway, I was in my second year when Fliss started with the agency. I knew exactly who she was, having spent so much time in awe of the pair of you in the first year. I’d given the whole escorting business up by this time, ashamed of what I’d got in to. I’d paid off my debts, had enough to go interrailing for the summer and was concentrating on my studies. But, as Christmas came round, I thought I’d do a bit again – you know, just for a few weeks when there were men wanting an escort to Christmas dos and parties and such. But, as I say, it can be addictive and I was still escorting well into the springtime. And then I was introduced to Patrick.’

‘Patrick?’